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Spring has been filled with scares, like Sydney Sweeney’s “Immaculate,” the “Omen” prequel “First Omen” and the talk-show thriller “Late Night With the Devil” in recent weeks. Now the vampiric “Abigail,” from the directors of the last two “Scream” movies, is sinking its teeth into the box office with $1 million in previews so far.
“Abigail” is expected to make between $12 million to $15 million in its opening weekend, edging out last week’s champion, A24’s “Civil War.” Universal’s R-rated horror only cost $28 million, so as long as the first weekend hits the higher end of estimates, it should have no issues making a profit by the end of its theatrical run.
Starring a young vampire ballerina, who is the daughter of one Count Dracula, “Abigail” follows a group of criminals who get way in over the heads after kidnapping the girl. Their $50 million heist goes south when they...
“Abigail” is expected to make between $12 million to $15 million in its opening weekend, edging out last week’s champion, A24’s “Civil War.” Universal’s R-rated horror only cost $28 million, so as long as the first weekend hits the higher end of estimates, it should have no issues making a profit by the end of its theatrical run.
Starring a young vampire ballerina, who is the daughter of one Count Dracula, “Abigail” follows a group of criminals who get way in over the heads after kidnapping the girl. Their $50 million heist goes south when they...
- 4/19/2024
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety - Film News
BAFTA Circles Calendar
The British Academy has confirmed the date of the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, which will now be held on Sunday February. 16.
As per recent scheduling arrangements, the awards — arguably the biggest film awards outside the U.S. — takes place two weeks before the Oscars on March 2, 2025. Regular film festival attendees may note that the BAFTA awards will, once again, be held during the Berlinale, set to run February 13-23, with there likely to be a spike in industry professionals flying back to London on the morning of Feb. 16.
The full timeline and eligibility details for the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards will be announced in due course. Voting will take place over three rounds: longlisting, nominations and winners, by the academy’s global voting film membership which comprises more than 7,800 industry creatives.
The 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, which saw “Oppenheimer” dominate with wins for best film, director and actor, were watched...
The British Academy has confirmed the date of the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, which will now be held on Sunday February. 16.
As per recent scheduling arrangements, the awards — arguably the biggest film awards outside the U.S. — takes place two weeks before the Oscars on March 2, 2025. Regular film festival attendees may note that the BAFTA awards will, once again, be held during the Berlinale, set to run February 13-23, with there likely to be a spike in industry professionals flying back to London on the morning of Feb. 16.
The full timeline and eligibility details for the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards will be announced in due course. Voting will take place over three rounds: longlisting, nominations and winners, by the academy’s global voting film membership which comprises more than 7,800 industry creatives.
The 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, which saw “Oppenheimer” dominate with wins for best film, director and actor, were watched...
- 4/19/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety - Film News
“Fallout” has been renewed for Season 2 at Amazon Prime Video.
The announcement comes after Variety reported that a second season was set to receive $25 million in tax credits by relocating shooting to the state of California.
Based on the video game franchise of the same name, the series is set two hundred years after the apocalypse. The official description states it follows “the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters that are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.”
Geneva Robertson-Dworet...
The announcement comes after Variety reported that a second season was set to receive $25 million in tax credits by relocating shooting to the state of California.
Based on the video game franchise of the same name, the series is set two hundred years after the apocalypse. The official description states it follows “the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters that are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.”
Geneva Robertson-Dworet...
- 4/18/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
The Witcher is coming to an end. The show announced today on X that Netflix has picked up a fifth season of the fantasy adaptation, which will be its last.
“It’s official, The Witcher season 4 is in production. But that’s not all, we’re already planning season 5, which will be the final season and bring this epic show to a fitting conclusion. See you on The Continent,” Netflix confirmed.
As Netflix noted, Season 4 production is underway.
After the shocking, Continent-altering events that close out season three, the new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other. If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again.
As we previously reported, Laurence Fishburne is joining the fourth season as Regis,...
“It’s official, The Witcher season 4 is in production. But that’s not all, we’re already planning season 5, which will be the final season and bring this epic show to a fitting conclusion. See you on The Continent,” Netflix confirmed.
As Netflix noted, Season 4 production is underway.
After the shocking, Continent-altering events that close out season three, the new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other. If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again.
As we previously reported, Laurence Fishburne is joining the fourth season as Regis,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Henry Cavill is being thrust back into the James Bond casting conversation on social media thanks to a viral fake movie trailer partially created by AI that imagines the former “Superman” actor as 007 and Margot Robbie as his Bond girl. In four days. the AI-generated trailer garnered over 2.5 million views on YouTube and further stoked fan interest in Cavill being named the new Bond following Daniel Craig’s departure in 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
As fate would have it, Cavill’s next role is Gus March-Phillipps in Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” March-Phillipps was a real historical figure who founded the British Army’s No. 62 Commando and who some believe inspired author Ian Fleming to create James Bond. Cavill’s history with 007 dates back to “Casino Royale,” when he auditioned for the role of 007 but lost out to Craig.
During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show...
As fate would have it, Cavill’s next role is Gus March-Phillipps in Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” March-Phillipps was a real historical figure who founded the British Army’s No. 62 Commando and who some believe inspired author Ian Fleming to create James Bond. Cavill’s history with 007 dates back to “Casino Royale,” when he auditioned for the role of 007 but lost out to Craig.
During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show...
- 4/18/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Well, this is an interesting about-face, and so much for the rumors about the recent start dates. Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has decided to scrap “The Movie Critic” as his final film. He’s changed his mind; he won’t make it, and what he will substitute for his supposed tenth and final film is unclear.
According to Deadline, the rumors are true that Brad Pitt was going to star, and apparently, many of the previous members of Tarantino’s repertory company were eyeing roles, but it’s all moot now, and the film has been scrapped.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Scraps ’The Movie Critic’; Brad Pitt Would Have Reprised Cliff Booth Role From ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.
According to Deadline, the rumors are true that Brad Pitt was going to star, and apparently, many of the previous members of Tarantino’s repertory company were eyeing roles, but it’s all moot now, and the film has been scrapped.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Scraps ’The Movie Critic’; Brad Pitt Would Have Reprised Cliff Booth Role From ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.
- 4/17/2024
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Coming off the massive critical success of “Killers of The Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese is reexamining his next potential options. While it briefly seemed like Scorsese’s next movie would be an adaptation of the high seas pic “The Wager” with current muse Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) attached to star, a long-developing project from years ago seems to have circled back to his main interest.
Continue reading Martin Scorsese’s Long-Gestating ‘Sinatra’ Film With Leonardo DiCaprio Adds Jennifer Lawrence at The Playlist.
Continue reading Martin Scorsese’s Long-Gestating ‘Sinatra’ Film With Leonardo DiCaprio Adds Jennifer Lawrence at The Playlist.
- 4/17/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential and celebrated directors of all time. He helped define the blockbuster, established the look and feel of '80s genre fare, and gave us the best (and possibly only well-shot) big-budget studio musical of the last decade. But despite getting his start in science fiction, Spielberg has mostly distanced himself from the genre in the past decade or so.
Still, Spielberg has remained an ardent fan of the genre, praising recent gems such as "Godzilla Minus One" and proclaiming his fandom for Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." Perhaps this has rekindled a passion for sci-fi in 77-year-old Spielberg, seeing as he's now getting ready to return to one of his favorite subjects — aliens.
According to Variety, Spielberg is likely going to "make his next project a UFO film based on his own original idea." David Koepp is writing the screenplay, according to the outlet's sources.
Still, Spielberg has remained an ardent fan of the genre, praising recent gems such as "Godzilla Minus One" and proclaiming his fandom for Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." Perhaps this has rekindled a passion for sci-fi in 77-year-old Spielberg, seeing as he's now getting ready to return to one of his favorite subjects — aliens.
According to Variety, Spielberg is likely going to "make his next project a UFO film based on his own original idea." David Koepp is writing the screenplay, according to the outlet's sources.
- 4/17/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The Sundance Film Festival may kick the snow off its boots once and for all.
The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027.
Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic). It started off as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in Salt Lake City in 1978. It will remain the host and headquarters of Sundance for two more years, at which point Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute is up for renewal. Utah will remain in the mix as a continued home for Sundance.
“We are in a unique moment for our festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to...
The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027.
Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic). It started off as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in Salt Lake City in 1978. It will remain the host and headquarters of Sundance for two more years, at which point Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute is up for renewal. Utah will remain in the mix as a continued home for Sundance.
“We are in a unique moment for our festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to...
- 4/17/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
Tribeca Festival has revealed its feature film lineup for its 2024 festival, which includes films from actors Lily Gladstone and Michael Cera and documentaries featuring Prince, Carlos Santana and Dolly Parton.
The opening night film is documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” directed by Tribeca alumna Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton.
This year’s festival, which runs from June 5-16 in New York City, has a program of 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers spanning 48 countries. The lineup features 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres.
The final selections were chosen from a record-breaking pool of 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of all feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors are making their return to the annual New York film festival.
“In a year of record high submissions, despite industry-wide challenges,...
The opening night film is documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” directed by Tribeca alumna Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton.
This year’s festival, which runs from June 5-16 in New York City, has a program of 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers spanning 48 countries. The lineup features 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres.
The final selections were chosen from a record-breaking pool of 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of all feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors are making their return to the annual New York film festival.
“In a year of record high submissions, despite industry-wide challenges,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
The documentary “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is set to premiere globally on June 18 on Netflix. The feature-length documentary, the first of its kind to address this topic, examines the history of queer stand-up comedy as — according to its logline — “an instrument for social change over the past five decades, actively reflecting and challenging cultural norms and values.”
The film combines stand-up performances and talking head interviews, as well as archival materials featuring LGBTQ+ comedians, and includes Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Suzy Izzard, Hannah Gadsby, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Bob The Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel.
Historians interviewed for the documentary include Dave Holmes, Roger Mason, Shar Jossell, Susan Stryker and Kate Aurthur, Variety‘s Editor-at-Large.
“Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is written and directed by Page Hurwitz. “I’m excited for the film to premiere, particularly at this time, because comedy has the power to unite, and...
The film combines stand-up performances and talking head interviews, as well as archival materials featuring LGBTQ+ comedians, and includes Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Suzy Izzard, Hannah Gadsby, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Bob The Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel.
Historians interviewed for the documentary include Dave Holmes, Roger Mason, Shar Jossell, Susan Stryker and Kate Aurthur, Variety‘s Editor-at-Large.
“Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is written and directed by Page Hurwitz. “I’m excited for the film to premiere, particularly at this time, because comedy has the power to unite, and...
- 4/17/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
The Cannes Film Festival will award legendary Japanese anime house Studio Ghibli with its honorary Palme d’Or this year, the first time Cannes has given its highest award to a company instead of an individual.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Cannes Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux, announcing the honor on Wednesday. They praised Ghibli’s animated features as filled with characters who “populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli has in the past 40 years, “achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: Independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market,” the festival said.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Cannes Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux, announcing the honor on Wednesday. They praised Ghibli’s animated features as filled with characters who “populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli has in the past 40 years, “achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: Independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market,” the festival said.
- 4/17/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“For All Mankind” has been renewed for Season 5 at Apple TV+. In addition, Variety has learned the streamer has ordered a spinoff series focusing on the Soviet space program.
The spinoff is currently titled “Star City” and hails from “For All Mankind” creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. Nedivi and Wolpert will serve as showrunners. The show will return to the beginning of “For All Mankind’s” alternative timeline, in which the Soviets are the first to reach the moon. But the show will then “explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts,...
The spinoff is currently titled “Star City” and hails from “For All Mankind” creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. Nedivi and Wolpert will serve as showrunners. The show will return to the beginning of “For All Mankind’s” alternative timeline, in which the Soviets are the first to reach the moon. But the show will then “explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Lionsgate Television is teaming with Park Chan-wook to develop an English-language TV adaptation of Park’s iconic film “Oldboy.”
Park directed and co-wrote the original film, which was itself loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name. He will produce the new series version along with his producing partner, Syd Lim. Executives Courtney Mock and Tara Joshi are overseeing the project for Lionsgate Television. Bryan Weiser negotiated the deal.
“Lionsgate Television shares my creative vision for bringing ‘Oldboy’ into the world of television,” said Park. “I look forward to working with a studio whose brand stands for bold, original and risk-taking storytelling.”
Originally released in 2003, “Oldboy” tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and held prisoner in a sealed hotel room for 15 years. He is suddenly released with no explanation, only to learn he has five days to discover why he was imprisoned or face the consequences.
Park directed and co-wrote the original film, which was itself loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name. He will produce the new series version along with his producing partner, Syd Lim. Executives Courtney Mock and Tara Joshi are overseeing the project for Lionsgate Television. Bryan Weiser negotiated the deal.
“Lionsgate Television shares my creative vision for bringing ‘Oldboy’ into the world of television,” said Park. “I look forward to working with a studio whose brand stands for bold, original and risk-taking storytelling.”
Originally released in 2003, “Oldboy” tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and held prisoner in a sealed hotel room for 15 years. He is suddenly released with no explanation, only to learn he has five days to discover why he was imprisoned or face the consequences.
- 4/17/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is gearing up for a big second half of 2024.
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos teased a host of marquee series set to debut in the last six months of the year on the streamer’s first-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Sarandos was asked about going into this year’s upfront market for advertisers and promised that buyers will see a long list of anticipated titles at Netflix’s presentation.
Among the returning series set to premiere in the second half of the year are second seasons of Squid Game — the streamer’s biggest series of all time — and The Night Agent, the final season of Cobra Kai, and new seasons for Outer Banks, Emily in Paris and Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology, whose second season will focus on Lyle and Erik Menendez. Among the new series set for the back half of the year are Peter Berg’s Western American Primeval, limited...
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos teased a host of marquee series set to debut in the last six months of the year on the streamer’s first-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Sarandos was asked about going into this year’s upfront market for advertisers and promised that buyers will see a long list of anticipated titles at Netflix’s presentation.
Among the returning series set to premiere in the second half of the year are second seasons of Squid Game — the streamer’s biggest series of all time — and The Night Agent, the final season of Cobra Kai, and new seasons for Outer Banks, Emily in Paris and Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology, whose second season will focus on Lyle and Erik Menendez. Among the new series set for the back half of the year are Peter Berg’s Western American Primeval, limited...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CBS is adding to its already extensive list of series renewals for the 2024-25 season.
The latest pickup for the network is Elsbeth, the Columbo-esque Good Wife offshoot starring Carrie Preston as the title character, lawyer-turned-investigator Elsbeth Tascioni. The series has performed well over its first few episodes, ranking as the second most watched newcomer on the broadcast networks this season (behind fellow CBS show Tracker). It averages about 11 million viewers over five weeks of viewing on all platforms (CBS, Paramount+ and CBS TV apps).
“Elsbeth has charmed audiences with its singular blend of delightful humor, distinctive ‘how-done-it’ storytelling, and the inventive, brilliant quirkiness of Elsbeth Tascioni,” said CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach in a statement. “Executive producers Robert and Michelle King have a stellar track record for creating critically acclaimed series full of unforgettable characters and, alongside showrunner Jonathan Tolins and his writing team, have developed an incredibly...
The latest pickup for the network is Elsbeth, the Columbo-esque Good Wife offshoot starring Carrie Preston as the title character, lawyer-turned-investigator Elsbeth Tascioni. The series has performed well over its first few episodes, ranking as the second most watched newcomer on the broadcast networks this season (behind fellow CBS show Tracker). It averages about 11 million viewers over five weeks of viewing on all platforms (CBS, Paramount+ and CBS TV apps).
“Elsbeth has charmed audiences with its singular blend of delightful humor, distinctive ‘how-done-it’ storytelling, and the inventive, brilliant quirkiness of Elsbeth Tascioni,” said CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach in a statement. “Executive producers Robert and Michelle King have a stellar track record for creating critically acclaimed series full of unforgettable characters and, alongside showrunner Jonathan Tolins and his writing team, have developed an incredibly...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On the East Coast, all eyes are on Donald Trump and his criminal trial over alleged hush-money payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels and others.
And on the West Coast, another trial is happening. Yet it, too, involves a beautiful, blond woman and a charismatic showman with a penchant for pulling the wool over people’s eyes.
But this trial is unfolding within the insular walls of the Magic Castle — the legendary private club for magicians set inside a foreboding Victorian mansion, formerly a private residence, perched upon a Hollywood hilltop and established in 1963.
The defendant is Murray the Magician, aka Murray Sawchuck, a veteran stage illusionist and comedian who for years has held a residency at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. (The Tropicana shuttered on April 2 and is expected to be demolished later this year — but Murray will be touring the world with his act until he installs...
And on the West Coast, another trial is happening. Yet it, too, involves a beautiful, blond woman and a charismatic showman with a penchant for pulling the wool over people’s eyes.
But this trial is unfolding within the insular walls of the Magic Castle — the legendary private club for magicians set inside a foreboding Victorian mansion, formerly a private residence, perched upon a Hollywood hilltop and established in 1963.
The defendant is Murray the Magician, aka Murray Sawchuck, a veteran stage illusionist and comedian who for years has held a residency at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. (The Tropicana shuttered on April 2 and is expected to be demolished later this year — but Murray will be touring the world with his act until he installs...
- 4/19/2024
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
And just like that, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will sashay away just as quickly as it came. The Emmy-winning reality competition series is set to crown a new queen tonight, as season 16 winds down with Nymphia Wind, Plane Jane, and Sapphira Cristál competing for the $200,000 grand prize and the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”
Who will take the crown? Here’s how to watch the “Drag Race” Season 16 finale on TV and online for free.
How to Watch...
And just like that, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will sashay away just as quickly as it came. The Emmy-winning reality competition series is set to crown a new queen tonight, as season 16 winds down with Nymphia Wind, Plane Jane, and Sapphira Cristál competing for the $200,000 grand prize and the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”
Who will take the crown? Here’s how to watch the “Drag Race” Season 16 finale on TV and online for free.
How to Watch...
- 4/19/2024
- by Anna Tingley
- Variety - TV News
Get your tissues ready: “The Iron Claw” will be available to stream on Max on May 10.
The A24 biographical sports drama debuted in theaters on Dec. 22 and received critical acclaim. Starring Zac Efron, Sean Durkin’s latest feature is based on the Von Erich wrestling dynasty, who suffered a series of tragic deaths in the family. Efron plays Kevin Von Erich, alongside Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich, Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich, Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich and Holt McCallany as patriarch Fritz Von Erich. Lily James plays Kevin’s wife Pam Adkisson and Maura Tierney plays matriarch Doris Von Erich.
Efron famously packed on pounds of muscle to portray the professional wrestler. “That necessity to be perfect — it became an obsession,” he told Variety for his December cover story. “It was a singular focus for months. And your life goes out the window during prep.
The A24 biographical sports drama debuted in theaters on Dec. 22 and received critical acclaim. Starring Zac Efron, Sean Durkin’s latest feature is based on the Von Erich wrestling dynasty, who suffered a series of tragic deaths in the family. Efron plays Kevin Von Erich, alongside Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich, Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich, Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich and Holt McCallany as patriarch Fritz Von Erich. Lily James plays Kevin’s wife Pam Adkisson and Maura Tierney plays matriarch Doris Von Erich.
Efron famously packed on pounds of muscle to portray the professional wrestler. “That necessity to be perfect — it became an obsession,” he told Variety for his December cover story. “It was a singular focus for months. And your life goes out the window during prep.
- 4/19/2024
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety - Film News
Jeff Boone has joined Fremantle’s North American team as its new VP of scripted development.
In this role, Boone will be responsible for developing new series for its pipeline and play an active role within Fremantle’s global scripted network. Boone will report to Fremantle’s EVP of Scripted Programming, Jenni Sherwood.
Boone joins Fremantle from his previous post as vice president of development at Bad Wolf, where he helped spearhead the company’s producing efforts in the U.S. During his six years with the company, Boone worked across a global project slate, while selling series to cable,...
In this role, Boone will be responsible for developing new series for its pipeline and play an active role within Fremantle’s global scripted network. Boone will report to Fremantle’s EVP of Scripted Programming, Jenni Sherwood.
Boone joins Fremantle from his previous post as vice president of development at Bad Wolf, where he helped spearhead the company’s producing efforts in the U.S. During his six years with the company, Boone worked across a global project slate, while selling series to cable,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - TV News
Keanu Reeves is in talks to star in two-time Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund’s highly anticipated next feature “The Entertainment System Is Down,” Variety has learned.
While the exact plot of the movie remains under wraps, Östlund has teased it several times as a social satire set on a long-haul flight on which the entertainment system isn’t working, sparking chaos and rages among passengers. The Swedish director has been collecting anecdotes for the last few years for the movie and recently finalized the script. The exact role that Reeves would have in the film is unknown, but it will likely involve wicked humor in line with Östlund’s brand of black comedy.
Reeves will be part of the ensemble cast comprising several international stars. The movie will mark Östlund’s follow up to “Triangle of Sadness,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival in...
While the exact plot of the movie remains under wraps, Östlund has teased it several times as a social satire set on a long-haul flight on which the entertainment system isn’t working, sparking chaos and rages among passengers. The Swedish director has been collecting anecdotes for the last few years for the movie and recently finalized the script. The exact role that Reeves would have in the film is unknown, but it will likely involve wicked humor in line with Östlund’s brand of black comedy.
Reeves will be part of the ensemble cast comprising several international stars. The movie will mark Östlund’s follow up to “Triangle of Sadness,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival in...
- 4/19/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety - Film News
Zendaya offered a glimpse into her relationship with Tom Holland.
The two-time Emmy-winning actress stopped Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday to promote her upcoming film, Challengers, when she was asked if she had ever received a speeding ticket or moving violation. She admitted she hadn’t but came close once.
“Tom and I were rushing to a spin class… with my mother,” she told the late night host. “I was not going to do the spin class. He was going to do the spin class ’cause I don’t do that. But we were going a little fast ’cause we were running late.”
However, when they were pulled over for speeding, they were able to circumvent the ticket. “They recognized that he was Spider-Man, and we were fine,” she explained, with a laugh. “We got a warning, and everything was Ok.”
Zendaya and Holland have been romantically linked since July...
The two-time Emmy-winning actress stopped Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday to promote her upcoming film, Challengers, when she was asked if she had ever received a speeding ticket or moving violation. She admitted she hadn’t but came close once.
“Tom and I were rushing to a spin class… with my mother,” she told the late night host. “I was not going to do the spin class. He was going to do the spin class ’cause I don’t do that. But we were going a little fast ’cause we were running late.”
However, when they were pulled over for speeding, they were able to circumvent the ticket. “They recognized that he was Spider-Man, and we were fine,” she explained, with a laugh. “We got a warning, and everything was Ok.”
Zendaya and Holland have been romantically linked since July...
- 4/19/2024
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the official poster for its 77th edition.
Cannes likes to evoke cinematic history in its official merch, and this year’s poster is no exception. It features a scene from Rhapsody in August, Japanese classic from the late Akira Kurosawa, which premiered out of competition in Cannes in 1991.
In the film, Kurosawa’s penultimate feature as a director, a grandmother, a victim of the Nagasaki bombing, passes on her faith in love and integrity as a bulwark against war and violence to her grandchildren and her American nephew.
The poster chimes nicely with what is becoming a bit of a Japanese theme at this year’s Cannes festival. Earlier this week, Cannes announced it would present an honorary Palme d’Or this year to Japanese anime house Studio Ghibli (The Boy and the Heron, Spirited Away), the first time the French festival has given...
Cannes likes to evoke cinematic history in its official merch, and this year’s poster is no exception. It features a scene from Rhapsody in August, Japanese classic from the late Akira Kurosawa, which premiered out of competition in Cannes in 1991.
In the film, Kurosawa’s penultimate feature as a director, a grandmother, a victim of the Nagasaki bombing, passes on her faith in love and integrity as a bulwark against war and violence to her grandchildren and her American nephew.
The poster chimes nicely with what is becoming a bit of a Japanese theme at this year’s Cannes festival. Earlier this week, Cannes announced it would present an honorary Palme d’Or this year to Japanese anime house Studio Ghibli (The Boy and the Heron, Spirited Away), the first time the French festival has given...
- 4/19/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
American Idol alum Mandisa has died at 47. A rep for the Christian singer told The Tennessean that Mandisa was found dead in her Nashville home on Thursday. The cause of death is unknown, the rep said, declining to share further details.
“We ask for your prayers for her family and close-knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time,” the rep added.
The Hollywood Reporter has also reached out to her rep for comment.
Fellow Christian singer Natalie Grant paid tribute to her late friend on social media. “I can’t quite find the words. When I learned of your passing yesterday, I begged God for it not to be true. I remember making our Opry debut together. We were so excited. But I remember our conversation so vividly. You belonged there. You always belonged, Disa,” she wrote.
Grant expressed being thankful for Mandisa’s “music, your honesty and testimony...
“We ask for your prayers for her family and close-knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time,” the rep added.
The Hollywood Reporter has also reached out to her rep for comment.
Fellow Christian singer Natalie Grant paid tribute to her late friend on social media. “I can’t quite find the words. When I learned of your passing yesterday, I begged God for it not to be true. I remember making our Opry debut together. We were so excited. But I remember our conversation so vividly. You belonged there. You always belonged, Disa,” she wrote.
Grant expressed being thankful for Mandisa’s “music, your honesty and testimony...
- 4/19/2024
- by Tatiana Tenreyro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jia Zhangke on Experimenting With AI for Cannes Entry ‘Caught by the Tides,’ Respecting the Audience
Sporting a warm smile and a pair of sunglasses – “Sorry, I’ve been busy editing and my eyes hurt,” he explained – one of China’s leading indie directors Jia Zhangke, whose upcoming film “Caught by the Tides” will be vying for the Palme d’or in Cannes next month, was guest of honor at the 55th edition of Swiss doc festival Visions du Réel this week.
Finished just in time for submission to Cannes, the film features his wife Zhao Tao, his muse over the last two decades, and tells the story of a couple spanning 20 years.
Explaining how the pandemic gave him the opportunity to review his footage all the way back to 2001, he described his new film as “a concentration of 20 years’ experience,” which blends footage shot with equipment ranging from 16mm film to 5D and even experiments with AI.
“I used whatever was available, I won’t...
Finished just in time for submission to Cannes, the film features his wife Zhao Tao, his muse over the last two decades, and tells the story of a couple spanning 20 years.
Explaining how the pandemic gave him the opportunity to review his footage all the way back to 2001, he described his new film as “a concentration of 20 years’ experience,” which blends footage shot with equipment ranging from 16mm film to 5D and even experiments with AI.
“I used whatever was available, I won’t...
- 4/19/2024
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety - Film News
The TCM Classic Film Festival kicked off on Thursday with a 30th anniversary screening of Pulp Fiction at the Tcl Theater. Original cast members John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel reunited to celebrate the film, along with support from Bruce Willis’ wife Emma and daughter Tallulah. After making waves this week with news that he was changing course on his final film, writer and director Quentin Tarantino was absent from the event.
During a panel before the screening, Travolta described how when he first met Tarantino to discuss the film in the director’s Hollywood apartment, they bonded by playing board games from movies and TV shows that Travolta had starred in.
“He was so adorable. He had the fantasy of wanting to play the games that were associated with the films I was in — like the Saturday Night Fever game, there is a game, the Welcome Back Kotter game,...
During a panel before the screening, Travolta described how when he first met Tarantino to discuss the film in the director’s Hollywood apartment, they bonded by playing board games from movies and TV shows that Travolta had starred in.
“He was so adorable. He had the fantasy of wanting to play the games that were associated with the films I was in — like the Saturday Night Fever game, there is a game, the Welcome Back Kotter game,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Alex Cramer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lola better get some new sneakers.
Sony Pictures Classics has announced it will re-release Tom Tykwer’s 1999 German action classic Run Lola Run, in a new 4K restored version, in U.S. cinemas this summer, timed to the 25th anniversary of the movie’s original domestic bow.
Franka Potente stars as the titular athletic Lola in the film, racing to find 100,000 deutsche marks in time to rescue her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) who is in deep with a local gangster. Every choice Lola makes, big or small, changes her ultimate fate. The film is told three times, with three separate endings, an approach that recalls video game aesthetics. Herbert Knaup, Joachim Król and Nina Petri co-star.
Run Lola Run was a sensation when it was first released and grossed more than $7 million in the United States and Canada for SPC, becoming one of the highest-grossing non-English-language films ever at that time.
Sony Pictures Classics has announced it will re-release Tom Tykwer’s 1999 German action classic Run Lola Run, in a new 4K restored version, in U.S. cinemas this summer, timed to the 25th anniversary of the movie’s original domestic bow.
Franka Potente stars as the titular athletic Lola in the film, racing to find 100,000 deutsche marks in time to rescue her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) who is in deep with a local gangster. Every choice Lola makes, big or small, changes her ultimate fate. The film is told three times, with three separate endings, an approach that recalls video game aesthetics. Herbert Knaup, Joachim Król and Nina Petri co-star.
Run Lola Run was a sensation when it was first released and grossed more than $7 million in the United States and Canada for SPC, becoming one of the highest-grossing non-English-language films ever at that time.
- 4/19/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“She-Hulk” star Tatiana Maslany went viral during the SAG-AFTRA strike last year when she called out Disney CEO Bob Iger for being “completely out of touch” due to his controversial comments about the Hollywood work stoppage. That “She-Hulk” was a Disney-backed Marvel series streaming on Disney+ only drew more heightened attention to her Iger call out.
“In those moments, you’re so heated up,” Maslany now told The Independent months later when asked about her decision to publicly criticize Iger. “It’s hard to articulate yourself in a way that you want when you’re on the picket line with everybody.”
Maslany was on the SAG-AFTRA picket line in New York City last July when The Hollywood Reporter asked her about Iger’s comments. She responded: “I think he’s completely out of touch. He’s completely out of touch with the workers who make his shows happen, who make people watch these shows,...
“In those moments, you’re so heated up,” Maslany now told The Independent months later when asked about her decision to publicly criticize Iger. “It’s hard to articulate yourself in a way that you want when you’re on the picket line with everybody.”
Maslany was on the SAG-AFTRA picket line in New York City last July when The Hollywood Reporter asked her about Iger’s comments. She responded: “I think he’s completely out of touch. He’s completely out of touch with the workers who make his shows happen, who make people watch these shows,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Bianca Censori, the Australian designer and model, was “physically assaulted” earlier this week, according to a rep for her husband Ye (formerly Kanye West), by a man who Ye then allegedly attacked.
“The assailant didn’t merely collide with her,” a statement from Ye’s chief of staff relayed by the rapper’s rep says. “He put his hands under her dress, directly on her body, he grabbed her waist, he spun her around and then he blew her kisses. She was battered and sexually assaulted.”
According to reports, Ye punched the alleged assailant in the face early Wednesday morning at the famed Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood. Police confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that officers had responded to an incident at the 8200 block of Sunset Boulevard at 12:15 a.m; Fox News 11 also shared footage of detectives outside the hotel later the morning of the incident.
“The assailant didn’t merely collide with her,” a statement from Ye’s chief of staff relayed by the rapper’s rep says. “He put his hands under her dress, directly on her body, he grabbed her waist, he spun her around and then he blew her kisses. She was battered and sexually assaulted.”
According to reports, Ye punched the alleged assailant in the face early Wednesday morning at the famed Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood. Police confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that officers had responded to an incident at the 8200 block of Sunset Boulevard at 12:15 a.m; Fox News 11 also shared footage of detectives outside the hotel later the morning of the incident.
- 4/19/2024
- by Kevin Dolak
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In an exclusive interview with Variety after picking up the top industry prize at Swiss documentary festival Visions du Réel, Franco-Iranian director Mehran Tamadon outlined the intention of his upcoming feature documentary “The Last Days of the Hospital.”
Set against the backdrop of France’s public health crisis and shortage of personnel, the film will show patients from a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Paris taking charge of their own ward.
Tamadon has been running film workshops with the patients at the hospital for the past eight years, and decided it was time to make a film to denounce what he describes as “the ultra-liberal policy which plans the death of the public hospital.”
“French public hospitals are not doing well, nurses and caregivers are leaving because they are mistreated and poorly paid. That’s how I got the idea for this film: if there’s no one left,...
Set against the backdrop of France’s public health crisis and shortage of personnel, the film will show patients from a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Paris taking charge of their own ward.
Tamadon has been running film workshops with the patients at the hospital for the past eight years, and decided it was time to make a film to denounce what he describes as “the ultra-liberal policy which plans the death of the public hospital.”
“French public hospitals are not doing well, nurses and caregivers are leaving because they are mistreated and poorly paid. That’s how I got the idea for this film: if there’s no one left,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety - Film News
Less than two weeks after Curb Your Enthusiasm aired its final episode, the cast reunited for a special event at PaleyFest on Thursday, where Larry David spoke publicly about the series finale for the first time.
In a panel conversation moderated by Judd Apatow at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, David told the crowd that “there was a week of basking” in the glow of the finale, which ended with an appearance by Jerry Seinfeld and a play on the Seinfeld ending.
“Honestly I was kind of blown away at the response to the finale, yeah,” David continued. “It exceeded my wildest expectations; of course, I never have expectations for anything.” Apatow asked if he had read reviews of the ending, and the star teased, “Only if they’re good, yes.”
Executive producer Jeff Schaffer said that Seinfeld joked the final Curb episode was 26 years in the making, as a way...
In a panel conversation moderated by Judd Apatow at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, David told the crowd that “there was a week of basking” in the glow of the finale, which ended with an appearance by Jerry Seinfeld and a play on the Seinfeld ending.
“Honestly I was kind of blown away at the response to the finale, yeah,” David continued. “It exceeded my wildest expectations; of course, I never have expectations for anything.” Apatow asked if he had read reviews of the ending, and the star teased, “Only if they’re good, yes.”
Executive producer Jeff Schaffer said that Seinfeld joked the final Curb episode was 26 years in the making, as a way...
- 4/19/2024
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It had been a minute since Anna Gunn felt the anticipation of an intriguing script hitting her inbox. Understandably, the incomparable writing she received for a combined decade on Deadwood and Breaking Bad set a high bar. But then the Colin Farrell-led Apple TV+ series Sugar came along.
Created by Mark Protosevich and executive produced by Audrey Chon/Simon Kinberg, the neo-noir show ended up being one of a couple recent Breaking Bad reunions for Gunn. Co-heads of Apple TV+ programming, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, served as presidents at Sony Pictures Television when Vince Gilligan walked through their doors with his Breaking Bad pilot script, and on top of having a hand in Gunn joining Sugar, the two executives have been busy recruiting their former Breaking Bad collaborators to their acclaimed streamer, including Gilligan and his still-untitled upcoming series; Jonathan Banks and director-ep Michelle MacLaren for Constellation...
Created by Mark Protosevich and executive produced by Audrey Chon/Simon Kinberg, the neo-noir show ended up being one of a couple recent Breaking Bad reunions for Gunn. Co-heads of Apple TV+ programming, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, served as presidents at Sony Pictures Television when Vince Gilligan walked through their doors with his Breaking Bad pilot script, and on top of having a hand in Gunn joining Sugar, the two executives have been busy recruiting their former Breaking Bad collaborators to their acclaimed streamer, including Gilligan and his still-untitled upcoming series; Jonathan Banks and director-ep Michelle MacLaren for Constellation...
- 4/19/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If the song title “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” doesn’t say it all, wait until you hear the lyrics.
“Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?/Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?/Were you writing a book? Were you a sleeper cell spy?/In 50 years will all this be declassified?,” Taylor Swift sings on track 14 from The Tortured Poets Department. “I would’ve died for your sins/Instead I just died inside/And you deserve prison/But you won’t get time.”
It’s clear songwriting is Swift’s specialty, and her new album features her superb storytelling. As she processes a breakup, the lyrics will hit you in the gut or smack you in the face — sometimes both on the same song. As she turns another page in her personal diary on her 11th album, Swift bares it all, and the songs...
“Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?/Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?/Were you writing a book? Were you a sleeper cell spy?/In 50 years will all this be declassified?,” Taylor Swift sings on track 14 from The Tortured Poets Department. “I would’ve died for your sins/Instead I just died inside/And you deserve prison/But you won’t get time.”
It’s clear songwriting is Swift’s specialty, and her new album features her superb storytelling. As she processes a breakup, the lyrics will hit you in the gut or smack you in the face — sometimes both on the same song. As she turns another page in her personal diary on her 11th album, Swift bares it all, and the songs...
- 4/19/2024
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
April kicked off with Beyoncé being presented with the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Awards in Los Angeles. Dev Patel premiered his directorial debut, “Monkey Man” in Hollywood while Andrew Scott was across town celebrating the launch of his new Netflix series, “Ripley.”
Variety cover star Kirsten Dunst walked the carpet at the Hollywood premiere of “Civil War.” In New York City, Darren Aronofsky was one of the guests at the starry screening of PBS’ “A Brief History of the Future” at the Museum of Modern Art.
Keep checking back all month long for more photos.
More from VarietyWhy 'The Wiz' Is Returning to Broadway Without TotoMelissa Etheridge and Danny Trejo Co-Chair Mobilize Recovery Bus Tour to Raise Awareness About Addiction (Exclusive)'Scream' Actors Support Fired Co-Star Melissa Barrera at 'Abigail' Premiere: 'It Says a Lot About How True the Love Is'...
Variety cover star Kirsten Dunst walked the carpet at the Hollywood premiere of “Civil War.” In New York City, Darren Aronofsky was one of the guests at the starry screening of PBS’ “A Brief History of the Future” at the Museum of Modern Art.
Keep checking back all month long for more photos.
More from VarietyWhy 'The Wiz' Is Returning to Broadway Without TotoMelissa Etheridge and Danny Trejo Co-Chair Mobilize Recovery Bus Tour to Raise Awareness About Addiction (Exclusive)'Scream' Actors Support Fired Co-Star Melissa Barrera at 'Abigail' Premiere: 'It Says a Lot About How True the Love Is'...
- 4/19/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety - Film News
April kicked off with Beyoncé being presented with the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Awards in Los Angeles. Dev Patel premiered his directorial debut, “Monkey Man” in Hollywood while Andrew Scott was across town celebrating the launch of his new Netflix series, “Ripley.”
Variety cover star Kirsten Dunst walked the carpet at the Hollywood premiere of “Civil War.” In New York City, Darren Aronofsky was one of the guests at the starry screening of PBS’ “A Brief History of the Future” at the Museum of Modern Art.
Keep checking back all month long for more photos.
More from VarietyWhy '...
Variety cover star Kirsten Dunst walked the carpet at the Hollywood premiere of “Civil War.” In New York City, Darren Aronofsky was one of the guests at the starry screening of PBS’ “A Brief History of the Future” at the Museum of Modern Art.
Keep checking back all month long for more photos.
More from VarietyWhy '...
- 4/19/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety - TV News
Arab distributor Mad Solutions has taken distribution rights for Arab world territories on French director Jonathan Millet’s “Ghost Trail,” ahead of the psychological thriller’s upcoming world premiere as the opening film of Cannes Critics’ Week.
“Ghost Trail” is being sold by French arthouse production and distribution giant MK2.
Inspired by real-life events, “Ghost Trail” is the story of a Syrian man named Hamid who is part of a secret group pursuing fugitive leaders who perpetrated horrors in the name of the Syrian regime during the country’s civil war.
“His mission takes him to France, on the trail of his former torturer whom he must confront. But with his judgment clouded by pressure, doubt and revenge, can he be certain of the righteousness of his own actions?” the provided synopsis reads.
Cannes Critics’ Week artistic director Ava Cahen has described “Ghost Trail” as a “thrilling sensory film in...
“Ghost Trail” is being sold by French arthouse production and distribution giant MK2.
Inspired by real-life events, “Ghost Trail” is the story of a Syrian man named Hamid who is part of a secret group pursuing fugitive leaders who perpetrated horrors in the name of the Syrian regime during the country’s civil war.
“His mission takes him to France, on the trail of his former torturer whom he must confront. But with his judgment clouded by pressure, doubt and revenge, can he be certain of the righteousness of his own actions?” the provided synopsis reads.
Cannes Critics’ Week artistic director Ava Cahen has described “Ghost Trail” as a “thrilling sensory film in...
- 4/19/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety - Film News
Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers for “Baby Reindeer,” streaming now on Netflix.
In just over a week, Richard Gadd’s miniseries “Baby Reindeer” has captivated Netflix viewers with its shocking story of a struggling comedian being stalked by an older woman named Martha. Even more shocking? The fact that the show is based on Gadd’s real-life experience.
Adapted from Gadd’s stage play of the same name, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, “Baby Reindeer” follows a fictionalized version of Gadd named Donny, who meets a hapless woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) while working in a pub.
In just over a week, Richard Gadd’s miniseries “Baby Reindeer” has captivated Netflix viewers with its shocking story of a struggling comedian being stalked by an older woman named Martha. Even more shocking? The fact that the show is based on Gadd’s real-life experience.
Adapted from Gadd’s stage play of the same name, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, “Baby Reindeer” follows a fictionalized version of Gadd named Donny, who meets a hapless woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) while working in a pub.
- 4/19/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - TV News
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav saw the value of his 2023 compensation package rise to $49.7 million, compared with $39.3 million in 2022 when the Discovery-WarnerMedia merger had closed.
The entertainment conglomerate disclosed latest pay details for its top executives in a regulatory filing.
Zaslav’s 2023 pay consisted of a $3 million salary, and more than $23 million in stock awards, as well as $22 million in non-equity incentive compensation and $1.6 million in other compensation, including security costs. The rise in compensation was due in part to a decision by Wbd to change its executive compensation plan to focus on cash flow, rather than stock price. In 2023 Wbd’s free cashflow rose in part due to the Hollywood strikes, which shut down productions for months.
In 2021, then-Discovery CEO Zaslav had received a pay package worth $246.6 million, a big jump from $37.7 million in 2020 and $45.8 million in 2019. That was driven by a May 2021 employment agreement that was...
The entertainment conglomerate disclosed latest pay details for its top executives in a regulatory filing.
Zaslav’s 2023 pay consisted of a $3 million salary, and more than $23 million in stock awards, as well as $22 million in non-equity incentive compensation and $1.6 million in other compensation, including security costs. The rise in compensation was due in part to a decision by Wbd to change its executive compensation plan to focus on cash flow, rather than stock price. In 2023 Wbd’s free cashflow rose in part due to the Hollywood strikes, which shut down productions for months.
In 2021, then-Discovery CEO Zaslav had received a pay package worth $246.6 million, a big jump from $37.7 million in 2020 and $45.8 million in 2019. That was driven by a May 2021 employment agreement that was...
- 4/19/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Bros. Discovery has been in cost-cutting mode — except when it comes to paying top execs.
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had a 2023 pay package worth $49.7 million, up 26.5% from the year prior, according to the company’s 2024 proxy statement filed Friday. Zaslav’s compensation totaled $39.3 million in 2022, after he received an astonishing $246.6 million (which included $203 million in stock-option grants) in 2021.
For 2023, Zaslav had a base salary of $3 million, stock awards valued at $23.1 million, a cash bonus of $22 million and $1.6 million in other compensation.
Other Wbd senior execs also saw double-digit pay hikes in 2023. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels...
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had a 2023 pay package worth $49.7 million, up 26.5% from the year prior, according to the company’s 2024 proxy statement filed Friday. Zaslav’s compensation totaled $39.3 million in 2022, after he received an astonishing $246.6 million (which included $203 million in stock-option grants) in 2021.
For 2023, Zaslav had a base salary of $3 million, stock awards valued at $23.1 million, a cash bonus of $22 million and $1.6 million in other compensation.
Other Wbd senior execs also saw double-digit pay hikes in 2023. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels...
- 4/19/2024
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety - TV News
Warner Bros. Discovery has been in cost-cutting mode — except when it comes to paying top execs.
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had a 2023 pay package worth $49.7 million, up 26.5% from the year prior, according to the company’s 2024 proxy statement filed Friday. Zaslav’s compensation totaled $39.3 million in 2022, after he received an astonishing $246.6 million (which included $203 million in stock-option grants) in 2021.
For 2023, Zaslav had a base salary of $3 million, stock awards valued at $23.1 million, a cash bonus of $22 million and $1.6 million in other compensation.
Other Wbd senior execs also saw double-digit pay hikes in 2023. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels earned $17.1 million (up 26%); chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell, $18.3 million (up 33%); Jb Perrette, president/CEO of global streaming and games, $20.1 million (up 43%); and president of international Gerhard Zeiler, $13.3 million (up 30%).
Cash bonuses and stock awards for Zaslav and Wbd’s other named executive officers are tied to free cash flow targets.
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had a 2023 pay package worth $49.7 million, up 26.5% from the year prior, according to the company’s 2024 proxy statement filed Friday. Zaslav’s compensation totaled $39.3 million in 2022, after he received an astonishing $246.6 million (which included $203 million in stock-option grants) in 2021.
For 2023, Zaslav had a base salary of $3 million, stock awards valued at $23.1 million, a cash bonus of $22 million and $1.6 million in other compensation.
Other Wbd senior execs also saw double-digit pay hikes in 2023. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels earned $17.1 million (up 26%); chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell, $18.3 million (up 33%); Jb Perrette, president/CEO of global streaming and games, $20.1 million (up 43%); and president of international Gerhard Zeiler, $13.3 million (up 30%).
Cash bonuses and stock awards for Zaslav and Wbd’s other named executive officers are tied to free cash flow targets.
- 4/19/2024
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety - Film News
BAFTA has confirmed the date for next year’s film awards ceremony, which will be held Sunday, February 16, 2025.
The date means the BAFTAs will come exactly two weeks before the 2025 Oscars, set for March 2.
Once again, the British awards will take place smack in the middle of the Berlin Film Festival, which runs Feb. 13-23, meaning many Brit executives will be booking flights back from the German capital on the first festival weekend.
BAFTA has not confirmed where the 2025 awards will take place. This year’s event was held three weeks before the Oscars at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
By holding on to their pre-Oscar slot, the BAFTAs hope to maintain their position in awards season as the most important international ceremony and as a prime Academy Award predictor. The 77th BAFTA Awards correctly foreshadowed the Oppenheimer Oscar sweep as well as snubs for Martin Scorsese’s The...
The date means the BAFTAs will come exactly two weeks before the 2025 Oscars, set for March 2.
Once again, the British awards will take place smack in the middle of the Berlin Film Festival, which runs Feb. 13-23, meaning many Brit executives will be booking flights back from the German capital on the first festival weekend.
BAFTA has not confirmed where the 2025 awards will take place. This year’s event was held three weeks before the Oscars at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
By holding on to their pre-Oscar slot, the BAFTAs hope to maintain their position in awards season as the most important international ceremony and as a prime Academy Award predictor. The 77th BAFTA Awards correctly foreshadowed the Oppenheimer Oscar sweep as well as snubs for Martin Scorsese’s The...
- 4/19/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Welcome to the 256th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
This week, we shifted from streaming to focusing on broadcast ahead of next month’s upfront presentations. Here’s how this week’s episode plays out:
1. Headlines
Tyler Perry, For All Mankind, The Witcher, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Oldboy, Travis Kelce, Don Johnson, The Gates and The Talk lead the week’s top small-screen headlines.
2. State of Broadcast
What’s renewed, ending and on the bubble? We round up the state of affairs at the five broadcast networks.
3. What’s “New” on Broadcast
As...
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
This week, we shifted from streaming to focusing on broadcast ahead of next month’s upfront presentations. Here’s how this week’s episode plays out:
1. Headlines
Tyler Perry, For All Mankind, The Witcher, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Oldboy, Travis Kelce, Don Johnson, The Gates and The Talk lead the week’s top small-screen headlines.
2. State of Broadcast
What’s renewed, ending and on the bubble? We round up the state of affairs at the five broadcast networks.
3. What’s “New” on Broadcast
As...
- 4/19/2024
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Factory has picked up rights to Luis Gabriel Beristáin’s revenge action thriller “The Gentleman,” a Spain-Mexico co-production starring an international cast led by Golden Globe-winner Ron Pearlman.
Produced by Spanish company Esto También Pasará and Mexican outfit Sdb Films (“The Deal”), shooting on “The Gentleman” is already underway in San Sebastián, Spain, and will run for six weeks. The film is scheduled to be released by Universal in Spain in 2025.
Uruguay’s Juma Fodde penned the film’s screenplay, which is adapted from Carlos Augusto Casas’ Spanish novel “Ya no quedan junglas adodnde regresar.”
“The Gentleman” turns on an aging former U.S. soldier named Theo (Perlman), who spends his days dreaming about better times that are now years behind him. Each week, Theo meets with Olga, a prostitute he pays to talk with him about who he once was and what he might have been under different circumstances.
Produced by Spanish company Esto También Pasará and Mexican outfit Sdb Films (“The Deal”), shooting on “The Gentleman” is already underway in San Sebastián, Spain, and will run for six weeks. The film is scheduled to be released by Universal in Spain in 2025.
Uruguay’s Juma Fodde penned the film’s screenplay, which is adapted from Carlos Augusto Casas’ Spanish novel “Ya no quedan junglas adodnde regresar.”
“The Gentleman” turns on an aging former U.S. soldier named Theo (Perlman), who spends his days dreaming about better times that are now years behind him. Each week, Theo meets with Olga, a prostitute he pays to talk with him about who he once was and what he might have been under different circumstances.
- 4/19/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety - Film News
Netflix will produce and release 53 Domingos, the new film from Spanish director Cesc Gay, an adaptation of his own award-winning theater play.
The dramedy follows three brothers who meet up to discuss what to do with their octogenarian father who has started behaving oddly. As they debate whether to put him in a nursing home or have him move in with one of them, the polite family meeting descends into an outrageous, out-of-control fight.
Carmen Machi (Piggy), Javier Cámara (Talk to Her) and Javier Gutierrez (Prison 77) star in the film version.
Gay is best known internationally for his 2015 breakout Truman, starring Ricardo Darín and Javier Cámara. His other features include Stories Not to Be Told (2022), En la ciudad (2003), and Nico and Dani (2000).
53 Domingos is one of three features Netflix unveiled this week as part of its new Spanish originals lineup. The other two are the political thriller Un Fantasma en...
The dramedy follows three brothers who meet up to discuss what to do with their octogenarian father who has started behaving oddly. As they debate whether to put him in a nursing home or have him move in with one of them, the polite family meeting descends into an outrageous, out-of-control fight.
Carmen Machi (Piggy), Javier Cámara (Talk to Her) and Javier Gutierrez (Prison 77) star in the film version.
Gay is best known internationally for his 2015 breakout Truman, starring Ricardo Darín and Javier Cámara. His other features include Stories Not to Be Told (2022), En la ciudad (2003), and Nico and Dani (2000).
53 Domingos is one of three features Netflix unveiled this week as part of its new Spanish originals lineup. The other two are the political thriller Un Fantasma en...
- 4/19/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Héléna Klotz’s “Spirit of Ecstasy” will open the 2024 Kashish LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai, while Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s “Mutt” will close it.
“Spirit of Ecstasy,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a gender-questioning stock-market trader who is determined to make it in the world of finance; not for the glory or
wealth, but because it’s leading them on the path to freedom. Lead Pomme was nominated in the most promising actress category at France’s Lumiere awards.
“Mutt” follows a trans man who goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into their ex-boyfriend, sister and father for the first time after having lost touch with them since his gender transitioning. It debuted at Sundance 2023, where it won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for actor Lio Mehiel. It went on to play at Berlin, where it earned...
“Spirit of Ecstasy,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, follows a gender-questioning stock-market trader who is determined to make it in the world of finance; not for the glory or
wealth, but because it’s leading them on the path to freedom. Lead Pomme was nominated in the most promising actress category at France’s Lumiere awards.
“Mutt” follows a trans man who goes through an emotional roller-coaster over a 24-hour period in New York City, bumping into their ex-boyfriend, sister and father for the first time after having lost touch with them since his gender transitioning. It debuted at Sundance 2023, where it won the U.S. dramatic special jury award for actor Lio Mehiel. It went on to play at Berlin, where it earned...
- 4/19/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Disney+, Max and Mubi are among the new participants of Cannes Film Market’s Streamers Forum, a series of conferences discussing the evolution of the streaming landscape. Clément Schwebig, Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of Western Europe and Africa, and Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel will deliver exclusive keynotes at the event.
Schwebig will make his debut on the Croisette in the run up to Max’s launch across 20 European countries on May 21, while Cakarel will give some insight on Mubi’s role in nurturing independent cinema.
This year’s roster will also bring together executives from AVOD services such as Pluto TV, as well as Filmin, the Spanish subscription-based streaming service primarily dedicated to independent films, and Greece’s Cinobo.
Pluto TV will kick off the program on May 16 at the Palais des Festivals with Oliver Jollet, exec VP and international general manager of Pluto TV, which launched 10 years ago...
Schwebig will make his debut on the Croisette in the run up to Max’s launch across 20 European countries on May 21, while Cakarel will give some insight on Mubi’s role in nurturing independent cinema.
This year’s roster will also bring together executives from AVOD services such as Pluto TV, as well as Filmin, the Spanish subscription-based streaming service primarily dedicated to independent films, and Greece’s Cinobo.
Pluto TV will kick off the program on May 16 at the Palais des Festivals with Oliver Jollet, exec VP and international general manager of Pluto TV, which launched 10 years ago...
- 4/19/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety - Film News
Standout Paris-based sales outfit Luxbox (“1976”) has acquired international sales rights to the debut solo feature effort from Chilean multi-hyphenate Vinko Tomičić Salinas(“Durmiente”),“The Dog Thief” (“El Ladrón de Perros”), which bows in the international narrative competition at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, running June 5-16.
The film follows an adolescent shoe shining orphan, Martín (Franklin Aro Huasco), in his quest to get closer to Mr. Novoa, a lonely tailor in town whom he believes is his father.
After a twisted ruse is hatched to excuse his further prying, the teen winds up against a wall in a situation that could cause him to lose the nascent, yet budding, relationship.
Novoa, played by Pablo Larraín regular Alfredo Castro, last seen in “El Conde,” reluctantly opens-up to the youngster and the two form an undeniable bond in this drama that takes quotidian life to new heights by infusing it with...
The film follows an adolescent shoe shining orphan, Martín (Franklin Aro Huasco), in his quest to get closer to Mr. Novoa, a lonely tailor in town whom he believes is his father.
After a twisted ruse is hatched to excuse his further prying, the teen winds up against a wall in a situation that could cause him to lose the nascent, yet budding, relationship.
Novoa, played by Pablo Larraín regular Alfredo Castro, last seen in “El Conde,” reluctantly opens-up to the youngster and the two form an undeniable bond in this drama that takes quotidian life to new heights by infusing it with...
- 4/19/2024
- by Holly Jones
- Variety - Film News
“Sentinel,” by Hollywood legend Phil Tippett, and “Sister Inconnue,” the first solo directorial outing of Rkss’ Anouk Whissell, cold well be two highlights at a 2024 Cannes Frontières Platform that looks set to underscore the robust range of genre as it is embraced by Hollywood, big independents, horror devotees and auteurs alike.
Creator of creatures for “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park,” Tippett may have terrified more people than anybody alive. If a teaser is anything to go by, “Sentinel,” a project, may well pick up on the style of 2021’s experimental and nightmarish stop motion/animation “Mad God.”
“Sentinel” features a battleground reminiscent of WWI hellish horror, giant bugs echoing “Starship Troopers,” Tippett’s last big job, attack droids and the statuesque figures of Osiris, Horus and Anubis, the last of which saves the hero, the gas-masked Sentinel, from a gruesome battlefield.
Sure to be a huge draw, an expanded version...
Creator of creatures for “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park,” Tippett may have terrified more people than anybody alive. If a teaser is anything to go by, “Sentinel,” a project, may well pick up on the style of 2021’s experimental and nightmarish stop motion/animation “Mad God.”
“Sentinel” features a battleground reminiscent of WWI hellish horror, giant bugs echoing “Starship Troopers,” Tippett’s last big job, attack droids and the statuesque figures of Osiris, Horus and Anubis, the last of which saves the hero, the gas-masked Sentinel, from a gruesome battlefield.
Sure to be a huge draw, an expanded version...
- 4/19/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety - Film News
Gabriel Guevara, the breakout star of the huge hit film saga “My Fault” (“Culpa Mía”) on Amazon Prime Video, is now set to lead Atresplayer’s new series, “Mar afuera.” This project marks a significant collaboration between Atresmedia TV and Beta Fiction Spain, taking on the adaptation of the smash Italian series “Mare Fuori,” (“The Sea Beyond”) which added 300,000 new subscribers to Rai Play when Season 3 launched, and sold to over 20 territories.
The eight-episode series follows the life of Álvaro, played by Guevara, a young seventeen year old from an affluent background whose life spirals after an accident finds himself in a juvenile detention center.
The eight-episode series follows the life of Álvaro, played by Guevara, a young seventeen year old from an affluent background whose life spirals after an accident finds himself in a juvenile detention center.
- 4/19/2024
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety - TV News
John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel reunited at the TCM Classic Film festival on Thursday for a 30th anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” to reflect on the film’s impact on their careers — and upon the medium itself.
“It changed cinema, so it’s almost hard to have it sink in,” observed Uma Thurman, who joined Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta and Harvey Keitel for a Q&a about Tarantino’s benchmark film with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz. “I feel like I’ve had an evolving and beautifully growing relationship with ‘Pulp Fiction’ all of my life. It changed cinema, and it changed every filmmaker I met since.”
Though she and her three costars were the only members asked to speak before the screening, several other members of the cast and crew joined them in the auditorium of the Tcl Chinese Theatre,...
“It changed cinema, so it’s almost hard to have it sink in,” observed Uma Thurman, who joined Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta and Harvey Keitel for a Q&a about Tarantino’s benchmark film with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz. “I feel like I’ve had an evolving and beautifully growing relationship with ‘Pulp Fiction’ all of my life. It changed cinema, and it changed every filmmaker I met since.”
Though she and her three costars were the only members asked to speak before the screening, several other members of the cast and crew joined them in the auditorium of the Tcl Chinese Theatre,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety - Film News
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